How can we glorify God?


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How to use this Devotional We would like to encourage you to use this devotion as a part of your daily time with the Lord. Perhaps you’ve never had a consistent time with God in your day, that’s alright. We hope that this booklet will serve as a sort of primer to you daily worship. We also hope that this will help you to ask important questions about what you believe and help you develop a practical theology. The word “theology” makes us nervous at times. It brings about thoughts of angry old men, arguments, church splits and maybe even some heartache. As a result, many modern evangelicals opt out of theology altogether and settle for a “Just love Jesus” sort of faith. However, every human being has a theology. It is either good theology or bad theology. At its most basic level, theology is what you believe about God. While we do need to love God in an affectionate way, we also need to know Who we love. If you desire to be love a person well, how do you do it? You don’t simply talk about the idea of who they are or fall in love with them superficially. Rather, you earnestly try to get to know that person: What makes them tick? What are their likes and dislikes? How do I love them the best that I can? We can’t approach God superficially either. Our desire in this journey is to help you to draw closer to God with both your heart and your mind.

Directions Each devotion is set up with a question, corresponding answer, scripture references and further explanation. 1. Read and memorize the leading question and answer. There are two answers to each question. The underlined and bolded words create a more succinct answer for youth and children. The full answer is for adults. 2. Read the corresponding scriptures. 3. Read the devotional and answer the corresponding questions. 4. Answer the provided questions 5. Discuss the scripture and questions in Gospel Communities, small group or Sunday school.

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What is the chief purpose for which man is made? The chief purpose for which man is made is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. Psalm 115:1 | 1 Corinthians 10:31 | Colossians 1:16 God is about His own glory more than anything else. Everything that God has created holds the purpose of bringing glory to Him. The birds sing to Him, the waters of rivers roar His praises, the pine trees grow in His name. He created everything to declare his excellencies. However, we cringe at the thought of this. “How could anyone get away with being all about Himself and His own glory? Isn’t God for me? It seems so selfish!” Why? Because we see self-absorbed people all around us. They’re on our TVs, our radios, at our workplaces, in our homes and if we’re honest, in our mirrors. But men’s gloating stems from us trying to convince everyone around us and ourselves that we are worth something. That isn’t the case for God. God is perfect. He’s the Creator and Sustainer of all life. He doesn’t have to prove that He’s worthy because He is worthy. He has every right to desire to see his name above all names because He is God. Furthermore, we are beneficiaries of God being about God. If He truly is the greatest thing in existence then glorifying and enjoying Him is the greatest possible purpose He could give us. Anything else would and does fall short. To make life all about us would be very unloving of Him. We are fickle, stubborn and rebellious, driven by a self-declaring kingship. We want things our way at the expense of others. God, however, is constantly gracious, constantly patient, constantly loving, constantly just, constantly true in all things and constantly desiring that everyone might experience his goodness for our good, to the glory of his name. He is truly the only thing worth living for.

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Why is it good that God is for his own glory?

The Bible says that we will know a tree by its fruit. Based upon the fruit you produce, who or what do you live for? What is your purpose in life?

How does the fact that God is first and foremost about His glory affect how you live?

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How can we glorify God? We glorify God by enjoying him, loving him, trusting him, and by obeying his will, commands, and law. Mark 12:28-31 | 1 Corinthians 10: 31 | Revelation 4:11 If glorifying God really is the chief end of man then it’s important to know how to do it. We are told throughout scripture that we are supposed to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength, but what does that mean? First it means that we love God affectionately and personally with our hearts and souls. God isn’t after our begrudging and fearful service. Though we are told to fear God, we also must love God as our perfect Father, trusting Him to provide for us and running to Him in times of joy and trouble. He is a personal God, not some distant dictator. Therefore, what he desires is joyful obedience from an overflowing love of who he is. Our love for God should be so central that it is the core of who we are. Our devotion for the Lord shouldn’t be an add-on; it should drive us. We are also told to love God with all our mind. This means that the things of God need to occupy our minds. In our modern Christian culture, this part of loving God has been all but forgotten. We’re told to simply love God emotionally and that the study of theology distracts us from who God is. While we must love God with joyful adoration, if we really take God and His Word seriously, we need to study who He is. This ensures we are worshiping the God of the Bible, not the God of our own creation, which will shape our emotions in response. Finally, we are also told to love God with all our strength. When we are overcome with who God is and what he has done, our actions in our everyday life need to and will reflect the God we claim to serve. Each of these types of love interact and strengthen one another. It’s important to remember that although we desire to glorify God by loving Him perfectly, we are imperfect and struggle to do so. However, God is gracious and able to help us in times of struggle. Why? He is our help, power and the agent of our striving. 6

Do you enjoy God? Why or why not? If so, how do you enjoy God?

How does the fact that God’s greatest command is to love and glorify Him change how I interact with Him?

How can I love God with my heart, soul, mind and strength personally this week?






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Why does God receive all the glory? God receives the glory because He is the Creator/Sustainer of all life. He also receives all the glory because He and He alone provides the means for our salvation. Ephesians 1:3-6 | Isaiah 43:5-9 | Isaiah 48:9-11 In the beginning God created all things by the word of His power. He created all things with rhythm and purpose. He created the world perfect, without blemish. It was all good. In Genesis 3, however, something happened: His creation rebelled. They turned their backs on God and said “not your will but my will be done.” Sin in turn entered the world. Sin entered you. Sin entered me. Satan was the enemy and death was our end. But God was not finished yet. God promised that one day He and he alone would save his people. How? His own initiative. By sending his Son who lived the life we were meant to live, died the death we deserved to die and rose again defeating Satan, Sin and Death. God did this. Why? For the glory of His name. He alone is the author of creation and the author of salvation. As Romans 11 says: “

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

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How can the fact that God created “all things” for His own glory help in times of struggle?

There is a difference between what we experience in a sinful world and what was meant to be in creation. What gives you hope and why? Use Scripture if possible.




 How does the last quoted verse change the way you pray?

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What is the Reformation and Why Does it Matter? One of the most pivotal moments in the history of the world was the Reformation. The reformation began with a young Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther being tormented by the incompatibility of the perfect justice and holiness of God and his own sin. Luther wondered if he could ever be saved from the fires of hell or purgatory. Try as he might, he never felt his works could come close to earning the forgiveness of sins from a holy God. However, as he studied the scriptures, he made a world-shifting re-discovery; works don’t earn salvation, but rather God freely grants grace through faith in Christ. The Roman Catholic Church taught something different. The Church taught that while God was a gracious, His grace needed to be supplemented with good works and sacraments, such as attending mass, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the purchase of indulgences. Realizing the falsehoods of the Church, Luther aimed to start a dialogue about possible reforms that could take place in order to be faithful to the scriptures. This collision of thought changed the world. On October 31, 1517 Luther nailed a document containing 95 critiques of the Roman Catholic Church to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. This action and this document brought about far more than simply dialogue; Luther’s act lead to him being declared a heretic, excommunicated from the Catholic Church, the splitting of the church and most importantly a return to the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ. While the Reformation happened 500 years ago we too must remember these events. The church of the 21st century, must be dedicated to the scriptures, to grace and to the clarity of the gospel of Jesus. We must examine the doctrines of our churches, our Christian culture and our own hearts. We need to be confident that we live our lives according to the Scripture and preach no other gospel than grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to others and ourselves. So, let us celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Reformation together. Let’s celebrate that God remained faithful to His church and convicted a man to take a stand for the truth of the gospel through His Spirit. Let us also, like Luther reflect upon our own cultural shortcomings and seek a reformation of heart and mind as we dwell upon our God of sovereign grace. We would encourage you to think about these concepts throughout the month and discuss them with your Gospel Communities and small groups in hopes that they are driven deeper into your hearts and unify us as a church.

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The Five Solas This month, we are celebrating the Reformation by going through a sermon series focusing on the Five Solas. The 5 Solas were the “battle cry” of the reformers. The 5 solas exemplified the theology of the reformers: Solus Christus- Christ alone is our Savior, Lord and King. Sola Gratia- we are saved by grace alone and not by our works. Sola Fide- Salvation is through faith alone in Jesus Christ. Sola Scriptura - Scripture is our highest authoritative for faith and practice. Soli Deo Gloria- God alone receives glory for our salvation and life, not us. Although it has been centuries since the Protestant Reformation, the truths of the Five Solas are still relevant today. We are surrounded by worldviews that are centered not on God but ourselves. Unfortunately, many modern evangelicals are guilty of having this man-centered theology rather than one that sees its purpose, motives and end being God’s grace and glory. Our goal during this month is to remember the Five Solas and see how each one plays out in our belief systems and our day-to-day lives. Join us as we look at the Reformation, examine our hearts and grow our love for God.

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